Buccaneers Favored To Beat Saints In First Matchup Of 2021 Season

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have -245 odds to beat the New Orleans Saints.
• The Bucs are 6-point favorites in Week 8 with a game total set at 50 points.

NEW ORLEANS – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints will meet each other for the first of two games this season. Looking back at the 2020 regular season, the Saints swept the Bucs winning both games by multiple scores.

Fast track to their Week 8, NFL betting sites have the Buccaneers listed as 6-point favorites on the spread and heavy -245 favorites on the moneyline.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. New Orleans Saints Moneyline

After opening up as -220 favorites to beat the Saints, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers odds have shifted to -245.

This comes as the public has been betting on the Buccaneers at any chance they get. Currently, 99% of the betting handle for moneyline is on the Buccaneers while they are also seeing 94% of the total bets made.

Backing up the public’s decision is that the Buccaneers offense has been clicking all season. They average the third-most points in the league (33.3 ppg), and the second-most yards per game (423.4 ypg).

The Saints, on the other hand, are in the bottom-five for yards averaged per game (296.7 ypg) and are also scoring 10 fewer points per game than the Buccaneers are with 23.3 ppg.

New Orleans could also struggle in the run game, an area that they thrive in, with the Buccaneers allowing a league-best 67.4 rush yards per game.

All in all, with the public continuing to hammer the Buccaneers, getting in on their odds sooner rather than later could add to a bigger payout if they win.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. New Orleans Saints Spread

Similar to the moneyline, public betting splits have altered the spread as well. The Saints odds opened up as 4.5-point underdogs and have fallen to 6-point dogs with 98% of the handle and 97% of total bets being on the Buccaneers to cover.

Both teams have struggled against the spread this season with the Saints going 3-3 ATS and the Buccaneers going 3-4. However, the Buccaneers are winning their games this season by 12.3 points, the third-largest margin, while the Saints are averaging a 6.5-point win margin.

Looking into different betting trends, the Buccaneers are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings against the AFC South and 4-1 ATS when facing a team with a winning record. The Saints have gone 1-7 against the spread in their last eight meetings against a team with a winning record.

In the last seven meetings between the two, the road team, in this case, the Bucs, have gone 5-2 ATS.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs. New Orleans Saints Total Points

The public betting splits here are showing that betting sharps are favoring the Under. The Over is reeling in 84% of total bets, however, 64% of the money is leaning towards the Under.

The Saints are 2-4 in hitting the Over this season and are missing the Over by a 4.1-point average. Though the Buccaneers have a 4-3 record with the Over, when playing on the road as a favorite, they have gone 1-2 with the Over.

Both defenses are also in the top half of the league allowing a combined 37.8 points per game.